[Trombone-l] Trombone-l Digest, Vol 20, Issue 4

[Paul Kemp]

I have a 36 slide that I had modified slightly in order to fit both my 42
straight gooseneck and Greenhoe valve section. I also own a 36 bell. The
valve section and tuning slide is EXACTLY THE SAME. As it is an older slide,
the modification was quite simple. The part of that slide that inserts into
the bell section was removed, and a flat sheet of brass was cut and inserted
between that piece and the lower inner slide tube, re-soldered, and it looks
as if nothing has been done. This is possible with a newer Bach slide, but
the inner slide must be disassembled. The cross piece that holds the inner
tubes together must be unsoldered and removed.

 

I used the example of smaller symphony orchestras, as I played with one for
almost 20 years. Whenever our principal player played the alto trombone, I
used the medium bore tenor slide. There were many times that I wished that
our principal player would have used the medium bore tenor, or at least use
a smaller mouthpiece on the large bore tenor. As a result, the sound was
quite dull and uninteresting, quite frankly, to the point of no return. 

 

I am not speaking in theoretical terms here. It's not a matter of being able
to play in the upper register so much, even though this can be an issue as
well. Many people think that it is impossible to produce a really beautiful
sound in the lower register without a larger mouthpiece. What happens more
often than not is that there is a serious lack of practice in the lower
register, so therefore the larger mouthpiece in reality is a crutch. I
honestly believe that it has to do with the perception of one's sound from
behind the bell instead of what it really sounds like 30-50 feet on the
other side of the bell. I have also noticed with the larger mouthpieces that
clarity of articulation is much more of a concern. 

 

If I was primarily a big band player, I would go even smaller. It's a matter
of using the right tool for the job. I don't get called for many big band
jobs (I can't actually remember the last time that happened), and so I
really can't justify even owning a small bore tenor. 

 

Paul Kemp            

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Richardson, Timothy Mr. DAC USAG Franconia DPW
[mailto:timothy.a.richardson at us.army.mil] 
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 2:40 AM
To: Paul Kemp; thetubameister at adelphia.net; 'Raymond Horton'
Cc: trombone-l at server5.samford.edu; PrivtBnkr at aol.com
Subject: RE: [Trombone-l] Trombone-l Digest, Vol 20, Issue 4

 

If you want to use only one horn you should buy a medium bore.  I have heard
this recommended many times by people whose opinion is far more credible
than mine.

And yet, nobody does.  Pretty much everybody I play with does what I do:
own two horns, a big and a small.  

I conclude the medium may be betwixt and between; not quite big enough for
the dark large tenor sound, not quite small enough to cut like a small bore.


It still seems like it ought to work.  But it also seems that if it did,
more people would use it, and they don't. The trombone world has largely
voted with their chops, and not for the medium bore.    

-----Original Message----- 
From: Paul Kemp [mailto:trbnplyr at bellsouth.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 23:50 
To: thetubameister at adelphia.net; 'Raymond Horton' 
Cc: trombone-l at server5.samford.edu; PrivtBnkr at aol.com 
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Trombone-l Digest, Vol 20, Issue 4 

In my experience, the medium bore tenor has gotten a bad rap. Depending on
the situation, I'd have absolutely no qualms playing on a Bach 36. However,
the majority of my playing is done on the 42 or 42B. The beautiful thing
about the large bore instruments is that they can be playing with a number
of different mouthpieces and still get a characteristic trombone sound. I,
unfortunately, have not had that experience with the medium bore tenor.